In both treatment groups nasal breathing had improved at 1-year and 3-year follow-up (p < 0.001), whereas an improvement in rhinorrhea (p < 0.001) and sneezing and itching (p < 0.01) was attained only in group A. The inter-group comparison showed that a statistically significant improvement in rhinorrhea and nasal itching (p = 0.002) and in sneezing (p < 0.001) was present in group A at both follow-up visits. Rhinomanometry improved in both treatment groups (p < 0.01). Inter-group comparison showed a significant difference only at the 3-year follow-up visit (p < 0.05).

In patients with vasomotor rhinopathy and ITH, improvement in symptoms, nasal resistance, ciliated cell trophism, and MTt was observed after sphenopalatine artery ligation.

The relative importance of collagen and elastin in formation, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has been investigated extensively. Aortic compliance, which is a relevant component of cardiac afterload, is also determined by the relative amount of media proteins in large arteries as well as by pathological arterial processes. The objective of this study was to determine if thoracic aortic compliance was different in patients with ruptured AAAs compared to those undergoing elective AAA repair. The study was carried out in 43 patients with infrarenal AAAs in the postoperative period. The first group (A) included 17 patients undergoing emergency ruptured AAA repair. The second group (B) included 26 patients operated on for an AAA who underwent elective repair. Patients were studied by a noninvasive Doppler echocardiography. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was determined in the descending thoracic aorta. Results show that patients with electively repaired AAAs had an accelerated pulse wave transmission, typical of an atherosclerotic aorta with a Gaussian distribution (PWV 9.26 m/sec +/- 1.27). In contrast, patients with ruptured aneurysms presented in a distribution with three peaks. A striking increase in aortic compliance (41% of patients with PWV<6 m/sec in group A vs. 3% of group B) was observed in patients with ruptured AAAs.

Inferior turbinate hypertrophy (ITH) is the main cause of nasal obstruction symptom. This study aimed at investigating whether a particular cellular pattern could be a predictive factor for failure of medical treatment for ITH in patients with rhinitis. Globally, 258 patients with chronic nasal obstruction due to ITH were evaluated by: visual analogue scale assessment of symptoms, skin prick tests, fiber-endoscopy, active anterior rhinomanometry, and nasal cytology. All patients were treated with drugs for 3 months and then re-evaluated. The symptom improvement depended on the different cellular pattern. There was improvement in: 54 (51.4 percent) patients with allergic rhinitis, 72 (69.2 percent) with non-allergic rhinitis with neutrophils (NARNE), 15 (42.8 percent) with non-allergic rhinitis with eosinophils (NARES), and 9 (64.3 percent) with non-allergic rhinitis with mast cells/non-allergic rhinitis with eosinophils and mast cells (NARMA/NARESMA). The non-responders (108; 41.9 percent) were therefore directed towards surgical treatment. Both patients with allergic rhinitis and patients affected by NARES had a higher failure rate to medical treatment compared with NARMA and NARESMA groups (pless than0.01). In conclusion, elevated number of eosinophils, in the nasal secretion of both allergic (allergic rhinitis) and non-allergic (NARES) patients with ITH, can be associated to a higher medical treatment failure rate.

Despite technological advances the mortality of Multiple Organ Failure MOF (or MODS) remains high. Liver is the main excretory organ for protein-bound toxins which accumulate in plasma of patients with hepatic failure. Hydrophobic molecules are present in plasma of patients with several toxic syndromes. Fluorescence is a characteristic of many aromatic compounds. Hydrophobic Fluorescent Molecules (HFM) in plasma have been studied in patients with MOF and hyperbilirubinemia. Heparinized venous plasma from 9 patients with MOF in post-operatory time (after cardiac surgery) was analyzed. All patients presented hyperbilirubinemia. One millilitre of plasma was extracted with 6 ml. of diethyl ether. Fluorescence of the ether fraction was determined with a digital filter fluorometer (excitation 300-400 nm. Emission >400 nm). Results were expressed in Fluorescence Arbitrary Units (A.U.). Control plasma were obtained from patients with chronic cardiac diseases; they had values mean 15 AU± 4,3 A.U. (range 11-21) of hydrophobic fluorescence. The mean Hydrophobic fluorescence of the MOF patients was 218.4 ± 276.3 A.U. (range 37-900). Data were highly significant (P<0.001).This preliminary study has shown that extremely high values of HFM are present in patients with hepatic failure and MOF. Hydrophobic molecules present a high inherent toxicity due to their insertion in the lipid bilayer of cell membranes and may be a determinant factor for the mortality of patients with MOF. The presence of specific HFM may be evaluated as a marker for prognostic purposes.